Times TV editor fetes rivals Nation journalists

Times Television news and current affairs editor Gracian Tukula on Tuesday hosted journalists from his company’s rival media empire Nation Publications Limited (NPL) to a sumptuous luncheon at a chic eating place in Blantyre.

Tukula, one of the senior editors at Times Media Group, invited over 30 NPL newsroom members of staff who included journalists, photographers, technical journalists and drivers to the luncheon which took place at Food Planet at Ginnery Corner.

According to some NPL journalists who partook in the luncheon, Tukula wanted to ‘properly’ bid farewell to NPL members of staff who he has worked with for more than a decade.

“It was a real nice-parting-event, about 36 members of staff were present at the luncheon. There were some speeches in which a number of people spoke on how they will miss him at NPL and he equally gave an inspiring speech. Surely, from his speech he will miss NPL and NPL will miss him too because he was one of the objective editors,” said one NPL member last evening.

A cheapest meal at Food Planet, according to quotes is K900, and on average Tukula might have spent about K50 000 in hosting employees of his media institutions’ company.

However, conspicuously missing was his successor Epharim Munthali but his former boss, according to sources, Edward Chitsulo was presented and made a speech.

Tukula resigned at NPL in September 2014 to join Times Group as head of News and Current Affairs due to what sources within NPL say was due to “frustrations” after his bargain for higher perks was rejected.

He worked for NPL for 20 years but for two years he left to work at British Council in Lilongwe before returning to Malawi’s newspaper giants.

He resigned as editor for The Nation, one of the major titles for Nation Publications Limited, which also publishes Weekend Nation,  Nation on Sunday and Fuko which is published in Chichewa and Chitumbuka.

This is reportedly the first time an NPL employee has done this. Lately, several journalists have resigned from The Nation such as Cheu Mita, Emmanuel Muwamba, Anthony Kasunda, MacDonald Bamusi, Mavuto Banda, Bright Sonani, Jacob Jimu, Wisdom Chimgwede and Steven Pembamoyo.